Brothers In Arms Guide

Your character begins each mission with two U.S. made weapons. Both are generally weak-sauce until you unlock the Browning Light Automatic Rifle and the Thompson Machinegun with the Drum magazine. Take note that the numbers at each ammo counter are the number of magazines and not the number of bullets remaining (although there is a remainder carry-over) like SOCOM U.S. Navy Seals.

When possible, try to grab the German made Walther MP40, since it is ubiquitous enough to keep you fully loaded on ammunition as you clear out each pocket of German resistance. Although inaccurate and fairly weak (shoot for the head), you will most likely never run out of ammunition, and you will not have to seek out ammo pouches at all.

Ammo pouches? Yes. Ammunition (and sometimes, grenades) is fully replenished when you interact with one of the following red-chuted ammo pouches:

Anyway, here're the rest of the weapons, although if you've played any Wuh-wuh Deuce game in the past 10 years, you should pretty much have a basic idea of what each game-represented gun can do.

M1 Garand / M1 Carbine: These two weapons are not the same caliber (.30-06 and .30 Cal. respectively) but for the game, both operate more or less the same. Both rifles fire semi-automatically (one shot for each pull of the trigger) but one has double the magazine size at the cost of accuracy. While these weapons are handy for medium distance sniping, Baker really could've hitched a hunting scope of some kind to capitalize on the accuracy of the Garand. With only the leaf sights, you need to expose yourself longer to get your shot to hit home.

Thompson .45 Machinegun: Al Capone and similar crazies used the "Chicago Typewriter" (Tommygun) for "business transactions" (murder) during the Prohibition era gang wars. The gun is rapid fire (good), has poor accuracy (not good), and a good size magazine (depending on which version you have). The Thompson gun Baker lugs around won't be upgraded until after the squad meets with the British tanks in the mission Operation Garden, so don't go thinking you have the ample 50 round drum to spare (ala Dick Tracy). The stand-by MP40 is just as good, if not better.

Browning Automatic Rifle: The BAR is the MSAW of 1944. However, it carries less ammunition (20 round box mags), and was also very heavy (thanks to the steel and wood construction). Its generally fired from a bipod, but strong soldiers sometimes were able to fire this beast from the hip. It's a good weapon to ahve on hand (there is no encumberance limits in this game) once you've got something good to back you up. Just remember that your allied machinegun team has infinite ammo. You do not.

German Mauser K98: This is an enemy weapon. Bolt action Mausers date back to when Germany was still a federation of states. The K98's design means a slower fire rate than the Garand, and it means it won't be much help in a close-up fight. Strangely enough, it would've made an excellent sniping weapon, had you the option to attach a scope (like in some other games).

Walther MP40: Walther's maschinpistole 40 is the precursor to the MP-5. It fires the commonly available 9 x 19 Parabellum (a handgun cartridge) and while it has a short effective range, it is widely used in the game, giving you constant refills. Although it may take a few shots in the arm or chest to kill an enemy soldier, if you aim for the head, you should be able to do one-shot kills. The trick is to score the hit in the first place since the gun sprays bullets everywhere.

Sturmgewehr 43/44: The STG-43/44 is the German ancestor to Kalashnikov's AK-47. The weapon's concept was so revolutionary at the time, the Russians copied the whole package. Essentially, it is a small automatic rifle. The STG is available only towards the end, but you will enjoy its greater accuracy and damage. On the down side, it is rarer than the MP40, so you need to watch how much you shoot.

G.42, G.43, K.43: These self-loading automatic rifles are ancestors to the G3 employed by Heckler and Koch. In this game, they are sniper rifles with 10 rounds (essentially, the game version of the SVD). When you have the option, pick one up and use it. You will find the scope's magnification very helpful in picking off enemies from afar when they are suppressed by your allies.

M9 Bazooka / Panzerfaust: German or American, the bazooka is the world's first recoilless rifles. They guide a rocket propelled explosive to a hardened target and use a combination of high explosive shock and shrapnel to kill their enemy. You can only carry one rocket in the tube, and lug around a reserve of five rockets. When you use one, you will need it primarily for one thing (tank kills) and there will always be an ammo-chute nearby.